Is This Life?
by Out-of-order123
Summary: People come and go, that's life. Steve has to watch his best friend go and can't take too much of life anymore.


**Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns the Outsiders. I merely play around with characters because she has granted permission for us, too.**

**Summary: People come and go, that's life. Steve has to watch his best friend go, and he can't take too much of life anymore.**

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**Is This Life?**

"Hey, buddy!" Sodapop exclaimed and slapped Steve on the back. He was packing up his bags in his room.

"Hey, Soda," Steve greeted less enthusiastically.

"What's wrong, Steve?" Soda changed his mood from happy to concern. His best friend shook his head.

"It's the damn war, ain't it? Well, I'm telling you, we're going to go, fight, come back and celebrate. We're gonna be back a little after my nineteenth birthday, anyways," Soda said. Steve nodded his head.

"Okay, how 'bout this…no matter what happens, we're still buddies and…we love each other, right?" Soda asked.

"Brotherly love?" Steve inquired. Sodapop nodded his head and him and Steve slapped hands to finalize the agreement.

"It's funny we're gonna get away with murder over there," Steve laughed bitterly.

"Shut up, Steve, let's think happy thoughts," Soda suggested and punched Steve playfully in the shoulder.

"Chocolate cake when we come back," Steve said.

"Chocolate milk," Soda said.

"Chocolate pudding," Steve said.

"Chocolate candy."

"Chocolate bars."

"Chocolate cupcakes."

"Chocolate cocoa."

"Spaghetti and chocolate balls."

"Don't get gross, man," Steve warned. Sodapop laughed and so did Steve. They were happy and confident they were going to come back to a chocolate themed birthday party from the Vietnam War.

Now, as Steve was shooting every enemy in sight, he wasn't so sure. He couldn't see Sodapop any where and after seeing a bunch ofpeople from his own side go down, Steve didn't want to know what could've happened to him.

He kept shooting, and then, ducked behind a tree for a moment. He began breathing in and out. Suddenly, Sodapop was standing beside him. They both figured the tree would be good for protection for the time being.

"Blast it, man, this is crazy," Soda said.

"Shoot, this entire fucking war is crazy," Steve retorted and peeked to the side and aimed to shoot. He could hear the bullets go through the air, but turned his head away before he could see his target fall. It reminded him of something he didn't want to think of. He was having enough with hearing all the gossip about who died and whose hurt everyday after fighting. The war was driving him bizarre.

"I hate 'Nam. I hate it, Soda," Steve yelled in all the noise.

"I'm right there with you, buddy!" Soda yelled back. Steve heard a shout beside him and turned to find his buddy crouching down, Soda was putting his hand over where his where his lungs were supposed to be.

"Oh, no…Sodapop, come on, we gotta take you to the nurse," Steve yelled and threw his gun away to carry his friend away from the fighting.

In the hospital, Steve watched Sodapop breath in and out slowly. Tears were surprisingly prickling down his cheeks. A distant memory came back to his mind.

"_Steve…" his mom said._

"_Yeah Mommy," Steve replied and sat in his mother's lap while she read him a book. They were now finished reading and his mom had shut the book and placed it on the table._

"_I know your young and all, but remember…that people come and go, that's life," she said._

"_I don't get it," Steve said in confusion._

"_Well, let's say a friend of yours leaves and goes to another city and you never see him again," his mom began saying. Steve nodded his head._

"_Well, that's when people go and then let's say another person comes and becomes your new friend, that's when people come. Steve, that's life and whatever happens, don't take it too hard," his mom advised. _

Steve was too young to understand at five years old, but he always remembered what his mom told him. His mom reassured of this, too. He knew what she was saying when he was old enough to understand, but never understood why she had to tell him that. That was… until he heard Johnny died and then saw Dally fall under the streetlight.

Then, he knew why his mom told him not to take it too hard because you naturally would. He did take it hard, nobody knew though because he hid his emotions. Right now, he couldn't take it. The doctor had come and told him the bad news and Steve didn't like life, didn't like the war, he didn't like _anything_. His heart was full of hatred of the world, just like Dally's was.

"Remember we were going to have a party when we came back?" Soda said hoarsely. Steve propped his head up to see his best friend. He nodded his head.

"It's not going to happen, is it?" Sodapop asked, already knowing the answer.

"I'm sorry, buddy," Steve said.

"Steve…do me a favor or two, will you?" Soda asked and without waiting for an answer he went on, "Watch out for Ponyboy, watch out for yourself, and try to go on without me. I know you can do it…"

"We'll miss you," Steve whispered. He was thinking those words, but he didn't realize that he said them until it was too late.

"Yeah…I'll kinda hope for that, but not too much. I reckon you hate the fucking war…"

"No shit, Soda," Steve snapped.

"Remember…watch out and live life good," Soda reminded and closed his eyes.

"This life? Is this life? Well, guess what? It's horrible. And it sure ain't what Mom told me it was 'cause people only go in mine. No one's comin' to replace to them. I doubt anyone will 'cause I don't think anyone can," Steve snorted.

Then, the zig-zag line on the machine went straight and Steve flopped down into the chair and looked at his gorgeous best friend who was now gone…dead. Nurses started coming into the room and taking care of everything. Steve stood up to leave.

"_Steve, that's life and whatever happens, don't take it too hard," he heard his mom say._

"_Try to go on without me," he heard Soda say._

"_He's probably not gonna make it. I'm sorry," he heard the doctor say._

"_We're still buddies," he heard Sodapop say._

"_A whole chocolate covered house for you and Sodapop when ya'll come back," he hear Two-Bit say._

He stopped in the middle of the hall and punched the wall. His knuckles started bleeding and he kicked the wall instead which only left a little sting in his toes of which he could tolerate.

"Damn war," Steve said and walked off. He really was looking forward to that party. It was going to be only a few weeks away and Sodapop was about to turn nineteen.

People come and go, that's life…he thought.

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**Reviews please! By the way, **_**my**_** mom was the one who told me that people come and go in life, so you have to just deal with it. So then, I had to think of Steve…**


End file.
